The Starting Point
A regional distribution company. 340 employees. $67M in revenue. An OPI of 64.
That OPI score meant the company was operating at roughly 64% of its structural capacity. Not because people weren't working hard. Because the structure wasn't designed for the company's current size and complexity.
The CEO knew something was wrong. Margins were compressing. Turnover was rising. Growth had stalled. But he couldn't pinpoint the problem.
The Diagnostic (Days 1-14)
Day 1-3: OPI Decomposition
We scored the five OPI dimensions:
| Dimension | Score | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| Decision Architecture | 52 | Critical |
| Leadership Alignment | 61 | Significant |
| Execution Infrastructure | 58 | Critical |
| Incentive Design | 71 | Moderate |
| Feedback Loop Integrity | 78 | Minor |
The critical gaps: Decision Architecture and Execution Infrastructure. These were the highest-value levers.
Day 4-7: Decision Architecture Deep Dive
We tracked every decision for five days. The results:
- Average decision time: 6.3 days
- 73% of decisions escalated to the CEO
- No decision log existed
- No decision rights matrix existed
- Teams described "waiting for decisions" as their primary bottleneck
Day 8-14: Execution Infrastructure Audit
We mapped the company's core processes:
- Order fulfillment: 14 steps, 8 handoffs, no SLA
- Inventory management: Manual tracking, daily stockouts
- Customer service: 47% first-call resolution (industry average: 72%)
- Hiring: 34-day average time-to-fill
The Intervention (Days 15-58)
Phase 1: Decision Architecture (Days 15-30)
- Built a Decision Rights Matrix for the top 20 decision types
- Implemented a 48-hour decision SLA with escalation rules
- Created a shared Decision Log
- Trained the leadership team on the new protocol
Phase 2: Execution Infrastructure (Days 31-45)
- Redesigned order fulfillment from 14 steps to 6 steps
- Implemented automated inventory tracking
- Redesigned customer service workflow with clear resolution paths
- Streamlined hiring process to 18-day average
Phase 3: Leadership Alignment (Days 46-58)
- Conducted LAI diagnostic with full leadership team
- Defined one strategic priority for the quarter
- Implemented Weekly Execution Mandate format
- Established 30-day alignment check-ins
The Results
Day 58 OPI Re-assessment:
| Dimension | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decision Architecture | 52 | 79 | +27 |
| Leadership Alignment | 61 | 83 | +22 |
| Execution Infrastructure | 58 | 82 | +24 |
| Incentive Design | 71 | 78 | +7 |
| Feedback Loop Integrity | 78 | 83 | +5 |
| Composite OPI | 64 | 81 | +17 |
Business Impact:
- Order fulfillment time: 6.3 days → 2.1 days
- Customer satisfaction: 62% → 84%
- Employee turnover: 24% → 14%
- CEO's decision load: 73% → 31%
- Leadership meeting duration: 127 min → 54 min
The Sequence That Mattered
The 17-point OPI recovery wasn't random. It followed a specific sequence:
- 1.Fix decision architecture first — because every other change requires decisions, and slow decisions kill momentum
- 2.Fix execution infrastructure second — because aligned leaders with broken systems still can't execute
- 3.Fix leadership alignment last — because alignment conversations are easier when the structure works
This sequence isn't universal, but it's common. Decision speed is the foundation. Everything else builds on it.
The CEO's Reflection
"I thought we needed better people. What we needed was better structure. The same team — the exact same people — is performing at a completely different level. The difference isn't them. It's the system they work in."
The Lesson
A 17-point OPI recovery in 58 days isn't magic. It's structural engineering. And it starts with knowing which lever to pull first.